i66 BROAD-LEAVED EVERGREENS 



the only place that combines a cool, moist summer with a mild 

 winter. However, nine tenths of the evergreens that flourish in 

 England will thrive on the Pacific coast if given enough water 

 during the dry season. 



The South can equal the English luxuriance, at least near salt 

 water; but with a different set of plants which will show a family 

 resemblance, yet individual distinction. 



The Northwest can have no broad-leaved evergreens worth 

 mentioning, and the Middle West cannot rival the East. 



The East spends the most on broad-leaved evergreens, and is 

 popularly supposed to have the worst climate for them. So I 

 shall concentrate on that region. Yet even here, I believe, we 

 can reproduce seven of the most important English effects with 

 broad-leaved evergreens, while there are only four that we can 

 never hope to have. This may seem like a formidable list, but 

 all these effects fall roughly into three groups flowering, fruit- 

 ing, and foliage, and they may prove interesting if examined 

 in that order. 



THE SPRING-GARDEN EFFECT 



Undoubtedly the most gorgeous flowering effect in the world 

 is that of rhododendrons. (See plate 64.) True, roses and azaleas 

 have a wider range of colours, while lilacs and hydrangeas have 

 bigger trusses, but they do not have a magnificent background of 

 evergreen foliage. The English spring strikes high C in June when 

 the rhododendrons bloom, while our dramatic moment is in May, 

 when the leaves come out and the fruit trees blossom. We already 

 have some spring gardens more gorgeous than any I saw in Eng- 

 land, but they are of a very different kind, as explained in the 

 chapter on shrubs. 



The English type of spring garden is a collection of rhododendrons 



